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COALVILLE — In a special tribute to one of the Native American tribal leaders that formed this state, North Summit High School is naming its football field in honor of a well-known leader of the Eastern Shoshone tribe – Chief Washakie. Some of his descendants said it's was a great honor, and they applauded the school for doing it.
The football field at North Summit High School has never been named. District Superintendent Jerre Holmes said they wanted to give the field a name when he served as principal there, but it just didn't work out.
"We were going to name the field then, and we took a lot of ideas from people, and nothing really seemed to stick," Holmes said.
However, that changed when someone suggested the name Washakie Field, in honor of Chief Washakie, and the name seemed like a great fit. Holmes said they learned a lot about Washakie during this naming process. Holmes described the tribal leader as a friend to the settlers of Summit County while also being a fierce protector of the Eastern Shoshone.
Holmes said they reached out to the current leaders of the tribe. And educators realized they had to make other changes to the school.
